Shootout at Wadala

After watching this latest film from Sanjay Gupta, who already has more than 4 inspired gangster movies to his name as a director, I was honestly thinking that what could be the reason behind attempting such a clichéd, all seen before kind of film by him, at such a scale. Because even when there have been a number of films already made on the same subject in the past, the team feels no harm in trying it once again, taking WE the viewers as granted following the good old typical routine act of our Hindi film industry as usual.

Now though the narration of SAW begins with a promise of being different, showcasing some calm well directed scenes featuring John Abraham as a sincere student. The film simply moves on to a completely familiar path with nothing new to share with its audience as soon as the transformation of a common man into an underworld don is there. The technically sound director in Sanjay Gupta keeps surfacing repeatedly with promising scenes ensuring that something terrific is coming up soon. Yet that doesn't happen at all till the predictable climax of this 150 minutes long film and all those interesting build-ups truly fall flat without anything substantially novel happening on the screen.

Partly based on the book "Dongri To Dubai" by Hussain Zaidi, its once again all about the rise of gangster groups and their clashes with the police in Bombay during the 70s and 80s. But haven't we seen this all in many earlier films made by Ram Gopal Verma, Milan Luthria, Apoorva Lakhia and many others? And haven't we already made too many projects on this subject in the past decade or more?

Certainly the makers don't think so as they constantly go on making films on similar subjects only which sometimes makes me feel that, Isn't this glorifying the crime on screen in a certain way? And Isn't this encouraging the 'picking up a gun culture' in a subtle manner in the questionable social structure around us in the present times?

Because while watching it as a common man, frankly its very easy to get pumped up seeing the hero picking up a gun and shooting the other, in a well shot slow motion sequence along with some high voltage background score running at the back. And this point gets proved perfectly when Mahesh Manjrekar clearly says in one of his dialogue in the film that, "Yaar Yeh Amitabh Bachhan Ne To Sabki Baja Ke Rakh Di Hai".

Now he actually says so because that was the time (in the mid 70s) when Amitabh's angry young man image was being formed with energetic films such as ZANJEER, DEEWAR, SHOLAY, TRISHUL, ADALAT & more. And ironically in the film, an Ambulance is also used by the policemen to arrest the powerful gangster, just like Amitabh uses it in TRISHUL.

Anyway that subject has always been a debatable one since ages, so coming back to SHOOTOUT AT WADALA, it does give you some lively sequences to feel the magic of cinema. Such as the first murder committed with John's assistance, his brother being killed in the jail, Manoj Bajpayi & Sonu Sood's fantastic entry, Anil Kapoor & his team arresting the big goon in his own local area and Anil's conversation with Jackie Shroff towards the end. However all these good scenes fail to lift up the movie from an average platform due to its continuous monotonous tone which even tends to go boring after the interval.

Further as its seems, the makers truly knew that they were not having anything fresh in their script so maybe that's the reason of including not 1 or 2 but 3 item songs in it featuring, Sunny Leone, Priyanka Chopra and Sophie. And it really feels awkward writing Priyanka's names along with the other two. Moreover, I also felt that Sunny Leone was fast becoming the new age 'Huma Khan' of the film industry with all her item songs deliberately added to show her physical assets only. However this isn't all what is thrown in to woo the audience, as SAW also has many abusive dialogues spoken by the entire cast and then a steamy bedroom scene too of John & Kangna who is there just to fulfill the female requirements of a gangster film.

In the musical department, SAW has a forgettable soundtrack but a great background score which supports all its action sequences brilliantly. The flashback point doesn't really gel well but the film has been edited skillfully which always have been a merit of a Sanjay Gupta film in the past.

So then for what SHOOTOUT AT WADALA can be seen once? It can be seen if you are interested in watching the fairly realistic account of those decades in Bombay when the underworld was cropping up. And it can be seen if you really are a big fan of all those actions sequences being shown with a slow motion editing & pumping background score on the screen.

Plus it can be seen only because of John Abraham and Anil Kapoor together since they both have given their best to the film unarguably. Particularly its one of the career best performances of John whereas Anil once again makes you look at him with both surprise and praises together. Supporting them Manoj Bajpayi is in a class of his own,Sonu Sood surely takes a step further in his career and Tushar Kapoor tries hard to deliver the light moments in an otherwise tense script. The rest of the cast acts perfectly fine but its only the 'all seen before' and clichéd content of the movie which turns it into a mere average one in the end. Hence you can easily make a choice if that interests you.

I missed the prequel 'Shootout at Lokhandwala' which did great and after hearing the rave reviews 'Shootout at Wadala' has been getting I decided to give the franchise a shot.I ended up with mixed feelings.What's good? The apropos setting means that as you sit through the first half hour of the movie you will find yourself quickly immersed in the gangster world of Mumbai(then Bombay) in the 70's and 80's.That is courtesy to a gripping story,exhilarating pace and good acting.The actors seem well cast.John Abraham(Manya Surve) impresses but in parts(As always his body is amazing though).It's always good to see Anil Kapoor and Sonu Sood,two of the many underrated actors in Bollywood.What really keeps the movie alive is it's dialogs,witty one liners and crass jokes.The movie justifies it's A rating with lot's of violence and sensuality(not meant for kids).There is a hot Kangana Ranaut and as many as three item songs with probably Sunny Leone's being the best.The camera work and editing are simply brilliant.

You would expect a movie with so many positives to be thoroughly satisfying,yet it somehow falls short of that.The movie seems undecided on what it is trying to portray.Is it about the transformation of an innocent student to a merciless gang leader?If so it certainly is n't believable.Is it about the honest duty abiding policemen?It doesn't seem so,then why spend so much time on the lives of the inspectors,an unnecessary digression(Not that i don't like Anil Kapoor,Ronit Roy or Mahesh Manjreker-they are great in their own way).Is it about a face off between John Abraham(Manya Surve) and Sonu Sood(Dilawar Imtiaz Haksar).Well after a great build up,the showdown does n't happen either.Such a missed opportunity.In the end you cant decide whom you are rooting for- Manya,Dilawar or the police.That's where it is a letdown,which is why the ending wont leave you teary eyed or deeply moved.

Overall the movie entertains,maybe doesn't disappoint but you feel it could have been much more.

Inspired from journalist S Hussain Zaidi's non-fiction book Dongri to Dubai, 'Shootout at Wadala', Directed by Sanjay Gupta, is An Engaging Action Film, that re-tells Late Gangster Manya Surve's bloodied story. Gupta handles the film well, while the Screenplay & Performances are note-worthy.

'Shootout at Wadala' is based on the first-ever registered encounter by Mumbai police, where Gangster Manya Surve was shot dead, in Mumbai on 11 January 1982.

'Shootout at Wadala' is extremely violent & disturbing. The violence depicted on-screen appears real & horrifying. Of course, the Action-Sequences are rustic & effective, but there is just too much of gore. The Faint-Hearted better stay away!

Gupta's Screenplay is note-worthy & is engaging. The first-hour is power-packed, while the second-hour culminates with a nail-biting finale. Gupta's Direction is stylish. He's in form after a long, long time. Cinematography is rustic. Editing could've been sharper. Music by Multiple Music Directors is fair.

Performance-Wise: John Abraham as Manya Surve, gives an all-out performance. He's believable all through. Anil Kapoor is simply superb as the tough cop. He stands out! Kangna Ranaut is wonderful, while Tusshar has his moments. Manoj Bajpai is flawless in a relatively small role. Bajpai never disappoints! Sonu Sood is another topper. He enacts an important role with terrific ease. Ronit Roy is excellent. Mahesh Manjrekar is perfect. Sidharth Kapoor holds tremendous potential as an actor. Jackie Shroff shines in a cameo. Raju Kher is brilliant. Priyanka Chopra, Sunny Leone & Sophie sparkle in item numbers.

On the whole, 'Shootout at Wadala' re-tells a true story, efficiently.

SHOOTOUT AT WADALA is a crime/thriller directed by Sanjay Gupta, and starring John Abraham, Tusshar Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Sonu Sood, Manoj Bajpayee & Kangana Ranaut.

The film revolves around the life of Manohar Surve (John Abraham), who was a simple boy, interested in a good education. His brother gets into a fight with a crime lord, and due to his girlfriend's incessant begging, he helps his brother out. However, he didn't do anything although his brother killed him. The police come and take Manohar to prison for life under Section 302, even though he begs them to let him go because he didn't do anything. In prison, he befriends Sheikh Munir (Tusshar Kapoor), where they plan their escape which proves later to be successful, turning Manohar Surve to Manya Surve, on an ambition to become the don of Mumbai. The rest of the film involves Manya, involving himself with crime lords like Dilawar and Zubair Imtiaz Haskar (Sonu Sood and Manoj Bajpayee) as well as ACP Afaaque Bhaagran (Anil Kapoor), an honest cop trying to put an end to all of the crime in Mumbai.

Okay, so when I saw the trailer to Shootout at Wadala, I totally wanted to see it. So I booked my ticket for a late night show recently when it came out. The movie was given a strict A rating which I expected. So when the movie started it was pretty normal, but then the gore started. There's stabbing...shooting...killing. It's all pretty much that. And I was alright for it for a while, but then it got a little disturbing. Like, shoving a guy's head into a gola machine. However there are just two scenes like that in the film. This movie is a gang movie, we are supposed to expect that, and well that's the reality, since this movie is based on the real life of Manya Surve, with a few people's names changed like Dilawar Imitiaz Haskar, who was actually Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar in real life. The movie is a little bit disturbing at times but its not a bad film to watch. I feel Sanjay Gupta has directed it EXTREMELY well, considering he managed to make us all see that this is the reality of the case. But even if we cut out the gore, the one thing that also bothered me was the item numbers. Take for example, 'Laila'. Sunny Leone is a pornstar in real life, and they needed a prostitute for the film. They really didn't need to take her. She was extremely unneeded, and her dance moves were extremely vulgar, which really annoying me. The one with Priyanka Chopra, 'Babli Badmaash' was extremely good. It wasn't vulgar, and it was a normal item song, which I appreciated after watching Sunny Leone dance around in her fashion.

The acting is EXTREMELY good, considering its start cast. John Abraham actually did really well as Manya Surve. He always has to scream but at times I really felt he was really Manya and I don't think I am going to see him in Desi Boyz the same way next time. He did his role fantastically as a man who was so innocent and how a simple underestimation turned him the wrong way. Anil Kapoor did well as usual. His role as ACP Afaaque Bhaagran was quite a serious one- an honest cop. So in my eyes, he did it well. Manoj Bajpayee and Sonu Sood, always a pleasure. And Tusshar Kapoor actually did well in this one. Kangana Ranaut was pretty unused in this film, however whenever she was on screen, she did her role well.

On whole, this movie is a treat. If you want to know the whole story of Manya Surve and the first Mumbai Police encounter, see it. But do not see it if you are feint-hearted- its got a lot of gore, honestly. The movie's not as grand as SHOOTOUT AT LOKHANDWALA, which has no relation to this one, but its an alright time if you are watching this movie for the facts. Don't see it for entertainment, because halfway through the film, you may feel disgusted.

So, I'm just going to give this movie a 6/10. It didn't live up to the hype, COMPLETELY, but it did give me some of what I wanted.

Make way for "Bombay ka naya baap, MANYA SURVEEE!"

SAW starts up with very good performances and a very good screenplay which takes the movie to the top of a steep mountain but slowly starts to a downfall from the top as the movie reaches its climax and here is my view.

PLOT&PERFORMANCES: movie has a very good plot and it is based on true events occurring in Mumbai in early 80's which are been carefully scripted and has been added up with enough spices needed for an Indian screen to attract the masses. The best thing about this movie is about the performances and most importantly of John Abraham where he gave his best performance till date and he receives a great support from all other stars like Tushaar Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Manoj and Sonu Sood who gave gem of performances. But very important characters that of Manoj and Sonu Sood has been wasted in the end of the movie and if their characters had been utilized well the movie would had been more appealing to multiplex viewers. Kangana once again in a routine character adding up to some adult scenes on screen. The item song by Sunny Leone is good enough but the one by Priyanka doesn't add up to the light.

TECHNICAL DEPARTMENTS: the applause goes to the director for his very good casting in the movie and getting out all the talent from the cast out on the screen and also for a excellent screenplay but he adds up erotic scenes which are not needed for a serious life event based movies. Music is not so appealing except for the item song by Sunny and the background score in few areas.

ANALYSIS: the movie is really good regarding the plot and the cast performances but the director didn't maintained this inclination in the whole movie which drags the movie towards a downhill towards the climax.The movie is a complete star in single screens but for multiplex it leaves up a question mark.